The Linux Foundation Invites Developers, System Administrators and Newbies to Apply for the 2016 LiFT Scholarship Program

Fourteen Scholarships Across Seven Categories Offer Students, Professionals and Those Seeking Vocational Education Around the World the Chance to Gain New Linux and Open Source Expertise

SAN FRANCISCO, CA --(Marketwired - June 02, 2016) - The Linux Foundation, the nonprofit advancing professional open source management for mass collaboration, today announced its 2016 Linux Foundation Training (LiFT) Scholarship Program is open for submissions. The program offers 14 scholarships across seven categories to individuals who demonstrate a passion for Linux or open source software and an interest in advancing their skills.

The LiFT Scholarship Program, which is in its sixth year, has awarded 34 scholarships worth more than $100,000 to individuals who may not otherwise have access to these training and certification opportunities. The training provides recipients with the tools they need to advance their career or get started in one of the most lucrative jobs in IT. According to the 2016 Open Source Jobs Report, 65 percent of hiring managers say open source hiring will increase more than any other part of their business over the next six months, and 79 percent of hiring managers have increased incentives to hold on to their current open source professionals.

The Linux Foundation aims to increase diversity in technology and the open source community and support career development opportunities for the next generation, especially those who have traditionally been underrepresented in open source and technology. As part of the scholarship, recipients will have the option to select a Linux Foundation Certified System Administrator (LFCS) or Linux Foundation Certified Engineer (LFCE) exam, allowing them to clearly demonstrate their skills to potential employers. The Linux Foundation Certifications are widely recognized for being performance-based, distribution-flexible and available anytime, anywhere.

Categories for the 2016 LiFT Scholarship Program include:

Linux Newbies: Individuals who are new to Linux but have learned the basics by completing the Intro to Linux online course (LFS101x) are invited to apply. Recipients in this category will be awarded a scholarship specifically for the next course in this career-focused series (LFS201 - Essentials of System Administration) as well as the Linux Foundation Certified System Administrator (LFCS) exam.

Teens-in-Training: Students 13 - 18 years of age who have already started using Linux and/or open source software and want to get a head start on a career in the field.

Academic Aces: 2016 high school or college grads already familiar with Linux and/or open source software but who want to prepare for their career with extra training. Applicants must be 18 years or older.

Women in Open Source: We invite women who have demonstrated leadership or want to take initiative in creating opportunity for themselves or other women in the Linux and open source community to submit applications in this category.

SysAdmin Super Stars: These applicants should have already begun using Linux or open source software in their workplace but want to take their work to the next level with additional training.

Developer Do-Gooder: We invite developers who are using Linux and open source software to advance their communities to submit applications, so they might expand that good work while enhancing their skills.

Linux Kernel Guru: This category will recognize an individual who has already worked with the Linux kernel community and who can become a more valuable contributor.

Applications are due by 11:59 p.m. PST on June 30, 2016 and will be reviewed by a panel at The Linux Foundation. Recipients will be notified in mid-July and announcement will be made in August.

"The first part of open source is open, and despite anyone with a computer and internet access being able to download open source software, countless individuals who show tremendous promise and passion for this technology are unable to participate in professional open source training that could greatly improve their skills and career prospects," said Linux Foundation Executive Director Jim Zemlin. "One of our chief goals at The Linux Foundation is to make this type of training more accessible; whether through free courses that anyone can enroll in, or by giving scholarships for more advanced training to deserving individuals all around the world."

Each Linux Training Scholarship will cover the registration fees for one course and one certification exam. Travel, internet connection fees and other expenses are not included. The classes eligible for Linux Training Scholarships this year include:

Linux System Administration

Essentials of System Administration

Linux Networking and Administration

Linux Performance Tuning

Linux KVM Virtualization

Embedded Linux Development

Embedded Linux Development with Yocto Project

Developing Linux Device Drivers

Linux Kernel Internals and Development

Linux Kernel Debugging and Security

Developing Applications for Linux

Essentials of OpenStack Administration

More than 850 applications were received last year for the 14 scholarships awarded, with the average age of submitters being 29 years-old. The LiFT Scholarship Program provides funds to developers, IT professionals and students who show interest and promise in building Linux careers and shaping the future of the operating system and the enterprise, but who otherwise do not have the ability to attend Linux Foundation training courses.

The Linux Foundation Training Program includes a comprehensive set of Linux courses that are vendor-neutral, distribution-flexible, technically advanced and customizable. Built by Linux experts and the leading maintainers from the Linux community, The Linux Foundation's training curriculum is constantly updated and synced with advances in Linux and includes new features as they are released. The Program combines broad, foundational knowledge with the networking opportunities that attendees need to thrive in their careers today. The organization has helped hundreds of companies move to Linux or gain advanced knowledge of the technology to give their development or operations teams a competitive advantage. For more information, please visit http://training.linuxfoundation.org.

About The Linux Foundation

The Linux Foundation is the organization of choice for the world's top developers and companies to build ecosystems that accelerate open technology development and commercial adoption. Together with the worldwide open source community, it is solving the hardest technology problems by creating the largest shared technology investment in history. Founded in 2000, The Linux Foundation today provides tools, training and events to scale any open source project, which together deliver an economic impact not achievable by any one company. More information can be found at www.linuxfoundation.org.

Trademarks: The Linux Foundation, Linux Standard Base, MeeGo, Tizen, and Yocto Project are trademarks of The Linux Foundation. Linux is a trademark of Linus Torvalds.